genessia | [Action Multi-Times] No more teachers no more books

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[Action Multi-Times] No more teachers no more books

(Genessia - Garden Park)

[Anastasia is free from school now. No more teachers, no more books, no more... Oh well.

Maybe she can attend school again someday. But for now, Anastasia has well earned vacation.

The little lady can be found out and about in Genessia City, walking her two eeveelutions, Glaceon and Sylveon. It certainly was a good, long walk. Once she made it to a shady spot in the park, Anastasia laid down on the grass, leaving her Pokemon to run and play.

Sylveon may be trying to tickle anyone who passes by.

However, such a nice day with the early morning sun blocked by a large puff of cloud makes a beautiful glow and a safe temperature for Anastasia. Such a peace that she lazily nods off to sleep in the grass.

It would be a shame if someone comes and bothers her.]

(Nova City - Holodeck'd VRMMO)

[Its a new day!

Anastasia remained in Nova City this time, spending her time at the VRMMORPG. She manages to finally gain a few levels abd unlocked some new perks. She can finally use Specializations and run instances with other players.

And she gets a new healer robe for her effort. A simple white robe with a hood over her head. Can she look any smaller compared to all the avatars that tower over her? Probably not. She is small.

But while she roams through town, browsing the markets, a familiar nuisance happens again.

Party invites, guild invites, Whispers from other players asking for friends or calling her cute. They happen every few minutes but they happen too often. But wait, most of the repeated party invites and friend requests seems to only come from one player...
Anastasia sighs and mumbles to herself.]

Hmm... What do I do about this again?

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[If she checks the character profile associated with the friend requests, she'll find it belongs to a fairly high level paladin - one who seems to favor a dragon motif, if the designs on his shield and cloak are any indication. It's hard to tell what he looks like under the plate armor, helmet, and tabard, of course.

Then there's the name. Ryuu Shirou. White Dragon, if Anya's been diligent in her Japanese studies. Is that a big enough hint? Is there anyone ELSE in Genessia who would use an alias like that?]

[Anastasia keeps getting two different friend requests. The White Dragon...is familiar. She remembers from meeting for the first time someone she can't help but feel a deep fondness for.

She finally accepts Ryuu Shirou's request and sends a private message to him.]

I'm sorry, Soma. I didn't realize one of them was you.

It's okay, Anya. I would have messaged you before now, but you've got your privacy filter on.

[He chuckles to himself a bit, making sure that part doesn't go through. He's the one who taught her how to use that setting, and for exactly the reason she's using it now.]

I've learned a few things about the way this game works, now. Meet me on Floor Five, at the teleport hub? I can't send a party request when we're this far apart, and there's something I want to show you.

Okay, I'll be there soon. As soon as I figure out how to put up a more strict filter.

Someone called WildMan19 keeps sending me invites.

[And she does so as she makes her way to the game's transport system. Arriving at the meeting place, just strolling along in robes obviously too big for her as she sees a Paladin in white not far away.]

Oh, wow~ Soma, is that really you?

Oh, god. Whatever you do, don't accept. He's a known scammer.

[How the hell did he know that? Weeeell, there's a reason he's running Paladin now instead of Monk.]

In the flesh, as it were. [He bows, in as courtly a manner as his armor will allow - which is quite courtly, considering.] I almost didn't recognize you in your new robes.

[A scammer? Here she thought it was just some guy trying to find a "gf" on a game. Whatever, she ignored him.]

I must say, you look very charming as a Knight~

Do you think my robes look okay? They were a quest reward for choosing the Holy specialization.

So what did you want to show me?

[It's a good thing you have to use an emote consciously for things like blushing in this game.]

Thank you. They look good on you; a good combination of modest and mysterious. [He smiles at her; just wait til she hits higher levels and sees the kind of outfits available to her then.]

It's on a higher floor - 25 to be exact. You'll need this. [He offers her a spell shard, which identifies as a teleport crystal. It seems to be set for the hub town on 25. He also offers her a party request.] It's a little dangerous to get to, but it shouldn't be too hard.

[Hopefully she never has to go through that.

Anastasia was familiar enough with the game now that she accepts the party invite the moment it comes up.]

As long as I have you to protect me, I'll be fine. Plus, I can heal you. We'll both be fine.

[Considering he's level 43, there's not much to worry him on 25. Not the regular enemies, anyway. Field bosses are another story, but they shouldn't be encountering any of those.

After they teleport, he leads her out of town by the south gate. Once they've left the actual town zone, he stops and whistles loudly; a horse in livery similar to what he's wearing trots up, and he mounts the saddle before offering Anya a hand up.]

Mounts unlock at level 25; most of them are single-rider. Paladin's the only class I know of that has a double rider option out of the gate.

[It's almost like a fairy tale. As Anastasia takes her spot, riding side-saddle, she can't stop herself from thinking about a Knight in shining armor taking her away to a new life happily ever after.

But it's just a game. Pure fantasy.]

So where exactly are we going?

To somewhere special, even in this virtual world. I don't want to spoil the surprise, but I'm just about certain you're going to like it.

[They ride onward, the paved road eventually turning to a dirt road, eventually a mountain trail, and finally they leave it behind entirely, climbing the side of a fairly large mountain. They pass mob packs here and there, but Soma largely ignores them. Partied as she is with him, they're ignoring her comparatively low level in their detection algorithms.

Finally, they reach what appears to be the entrance to a cave.]

This is where we have to dismount, I'm afraid. We're not far now, but there's some walking to be done.

[The worst the mobs did was turn and threaten them, but never initiate an attack. The growling alone often scared her, as Soma could tell when she clings onto him.

After being certain they were safe from random mobs, Anastasia hops off the mount and moves to inspect the cave. It doesn't have a instance icon on it. At least, not one she can see.]

So its through here? Are there monsters inside?

Not as such, no. You're... going to have to see for yourself. Whatever you see, whatever you hear, don't initiate an attack.

[He leads the way into the cave, activating a holy light cantrip to light the way. The blue-white light only goes so far into the gloom, basically keeping them in a puddle of light about ten feet across.

The cave itself, from entrance inward, is pretty big. They could easily have ridden the horse in here, if the game would have allowed it.

As they continue, she'll notice a brightening ahead of them, coming from around a corner.]

It's just ahead, now, around this corner. Remember what I said about not attacking.

[Anastasia is just a small healer, specialized solely for party support. She barely has any attack magic beyond just the bare minimum. So naturally, she is scared and it's apparent with how close she stays with Soma.

She even unequips her staff to make sure she doesn't accidentally do something.]

O-okay. I won't...

[Well, good luck getting her to go around that corner now. She stopped just before it.]

[Soma, for his part, is patient. When he first came here, he'd been given much the same advice he'd given her - except his source had been the equivalent of quest text, couched in a parable. Someone had entirely too much fun setting this up.

A deep rumbling can be heard from somewhere past the corner. A deep, rhythmic rumbling, repeating roughly every few seconds. It almost sounds like someone sleeping quietly... if that someone were a hundred feet tall.]

Don't be afraid. You've nothing to fear, here, if you do as I said. I promise.

[His voice is quiet, but kind. What lies ahead is something that's clearly impressed him, and he wants her to see it for herself.]

[She does manage to budge. Now, good luck getting her to let go of his arm.

She can hear it now... It was Still scary.]

Is someone... Sleeping...?

Yes. But he has very good hearing, so try to keep quiet.

[He gently leads her around the bend... and makes a gesture as if presenting something.

He kind of is. Most people don't know this place exists. It's part of only one quest, and that only for one class.

Crystals of varying size line the walls and ceiling of the cavern, giving off a soft glow that bounces crazily off of the pile of treasure in the center of the room... as well as the burnished silver scales of the dragon sleeping on that hoard, head resting on its tail. It's not less than a hundred feet long, and its furled wings look like they're at least twice that.

It has ten health bars.]

[Anastasia covered her mouth in response. Quiet, yes.

Her grip lessened when she was lead into the chamber. The glittering crystals, the sparkling gold, the beauty has her awestruck as she finally let go of Soma to explore.]

It's all so beautiful...

[And she stops right on time to be just feet away from the dragon.

Uh oh...]

[As she watches, a great eye opens, slowly, just a few feet away from her. It's almost as wide as she is tall.

Once it's open, the head rises from the mound, the rest of its body staying just as it is. No sense in fully rousing for two humans, after all. When it speaks, the words are felt more than heard.]

Who is this child thou hast brought before me, Paladin Shirou? Her robes mark her an Acolyte - she is not one of mine chosen.

[Soma kneels - actually kneels - to the dragon.]

She is Anya, a dear friend of mine. I apologize for presuming to bring her to this sanctum, but I believe her to be worthy of thy blessing.

[The dragon lowers its head again, centering Anya between its great eyes - and, not so incidentally, just in front of its jaws.]

Potential I sense in thee, child. Very well. Thou shalt have mine blessing.

[The dragon draws back once again, drawing breath as it goes... and then, it unleashes a torrent of silver fire over them. There is no heat, though; instead, the flame appears to have caused them no harm whatsoever. As it passes, Ana should get a notification of an applied buff, the Holy Dragon's Flame. Fifty percent experience bonus, twenty percent increased HP and MP for 24 hours.]

Come again if thou wouldst, and thou shalt be welcome, child. Stay as long as thou like.

[Anastasia, short of a panic, keeps telling herself "It's just a game. It's just a game."

Just even though the dragon let in a deep inhale, she knew in re end she will be fine, because it was Soma who brought her here. But she covered herself as the flames engulfed her, and surprise overcame her as she saw her HP wasn't degrading, but the opposite. Both her HP and MP were such huge numbers. Well, to her, at least.

It was over now. Anastasia stared at the dragon in admiration before smiling at Soma. She turned to the dragon again and curtsied appreciatively.]

Thank you for this blessing, Great Lord Dragon.

Thou mayest call me Naall, child.

[Clearly done with the conversation now, the dragon goes back to sleep. If Anya checks her profile now, she'll find a new title there - Dragonfriend.]

I very nearly did something unfortunate the first time I went through that. This place is where you decide if you're going to be a Paladin or a Dark Knight - and it all depends on how you react to that.

Really?
So then you chose to become a Paladin?

[She quietly tells her heart to behave. She has a weakness for knights.]

This doesn't change my class, does it? I'm still an Acolyte?

Yes. Naall and I... we reached an understanding. The AI in this game is really, really advanced; you'd be surprised some of the options that are actually available, if you know where to poke.

[He gives her a wry smile at the question.] No; this place is only used for the job selection quest for paladins and dark knights. I don't know what acolytes have to do, or where they go, for their quest.

I'd assume I have to go to a holy place to advance my class.

But now... What should we do? It is really pretty here, it would be a shame to leave so soon...

[Or at least go somewhere else where their talking won't bother a dragon.]

Probably. I'd have to talk to someone who's running a healer to find out for sure, but most of the class advancements I've heard of in here follow logical patterns.

[He takes another look around the cavern. It's quite full of shinies and sparklies, but none of them are really interactable.]

We could stay here, if you want - almost no one comes here, and now that you have his blessing, Naall will leave you alone entirely.

Holodeck'd

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