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[Fenix]

FullDive

Fenix could not argue with his real self over the feeling of awkwardness that filled him. He stood at the edge of the greatly rumored "Yggdrasil City", and he could tell that he was the newest player on the road that was leading into the great city. The avatar was lightly adorned with dark red pants and jacket on-top of a red laced shirt. His steel two-handed sword was strapped onto his back and held in place by a leather open sheath.

A smile spread across the Salamander’s face as he used his left index finger to swipe open the set of menus. With the in-depth heads-up-display the real-world time was being displayed for him, or rather the real-life counterpart. I can get about one and a half hours of dive time before I have to get off, he told himself as he swiped the main display away.

“That leaves me some time to get in and explore before I need to find an inn,” he muttered while getting a grin.

Since getting into the game, he was still amazed at the realistic fantasy world that was able to be created. He took a deep breath, not because he actually needed to breath in the world, but rather because it was something he needed to do so that he could get fully acclimated with the world.

“Let’s see what this neutral city has to offer,” Fenix said as he began walking into the city.

The buildings got taller as he approached the World Tree. He began to wonder if there were even more levels of the city the closer that one would get to the tree. If there was an equal number of levels down, hiding any number of secrets. One of the things he had heard about was an underground world that was full of boss-class monsters that some unsuspecting players could get pulled into when they reached the Alne Plateau. He must have very high luck to be able to not have that happen to him, even though he was a new player, there was no doubt in his mind that he would at least have attempted to go down in a blaze of attempted glory.

The image of charging a large monster and being taken out in a single hit filled his mind, giving him feelings of excitement and fear. He could not wait before he was taking out some of the monsters that were showcased in the trailers.

“But I don’t have a victory phrase yet…” the avatar muttered as he realized he had not put enough planning into this new adventure of his.

438OPEN

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[Sinon]

MADE BY ★MEULK OF THQ

Sinon walked outside of a store that she had just spent a few moments in. After she gave a cheerful good bye to the store owner, she turned away and let out a quick, disappointing sigh as her cat-like ears dropped down. The store didn't contain anything of interest to her and she figured it was best to give up instead of continuing to look around. Yggdrasil is such a big city that players can get lost looking around at the many different stores to see what they had in stock. She pulled up the menu to see the time she had spent playing and noticed that she only spent a good thirty minutes looking at some of the better shops in the city. "I should probably start exploring other things instead of stores while I have the time to." She said to herself. The young girl didn't have any plans for the night. She managed to get her homework and chores done before putting on her Nerve Gear and getting lost in the world of ALfheim Online which would leave her a longer time to explore the virtual world without any interruptions. ALfheim Online was the first game that Sinon had played on the Nerve Gear. At times it would seem a bit nerve wracking since she didn't have any friends. Most of the players on here seemed to have friends they met on other games and carried them over on here. She was always interested in connecting with players like that, but her shyness would usually hold her back. The Cait Sith made her way over to a bench and sat down, holding her head on her hands as she seemed upset she didn't have anyone around to befriend yet. As her blue eyes skimmed through the sea of people and she noticed someone that seemed to catch her eye. Her ears pricked up with interest as her gaze held onto the player. The player seemed to be alone, which was pretty uncommon on a game like ALO. Most people would have a friend or more with them. He looks like a new player. Maybe this is my chance to make a new friend. I know a few things here and there so maybe I could help him out? She made her way over to the player, moving in and out of people that were walking nearby and muttering apologizes under her breath as she dashed quickly in front of some. "H-Hey there." She stuttered as she made her way over to the player. Her eyes looked him up and down and she began to notice that he might have picked the race of a Salamander. "Do you need any help?" 453 WORDS @tagged

[Fenix]

FullDive

Just as Fenix finished his thought about potential victories against boss monsters, he heard a voice that was directed at him. At least he thought he did. Already wanting to prove his change in character, the avatar looked directly at the person, opposed to Kouta normally just waiting to see if he truly was the person that was being spoken to. Before him was a blue-eyed, blue-haired girl. She was a bit shorter than he was and looked to be a more experienced player, specifically having to do with the different color than most people would get if they just joined. However, the part of the other player that attracted the most of his attention were the two furry ears that were pointing towards the sky.

The Salamander could not tell if they were real or not. Maybe they were just some cosmetic item that players can put on their avatars. That made the most sense to him, after all, there were some cafés in the city that were centered on the waitresses wearing cat ears and tails. So, he accepted the appearance as something any ordinary person would find when going into a mmo.

“Yo,” he answered, waving back to the person while flashing a smile.

Fenix ran up to her so that there was no longer any distance between them. Once he stopped, he changed his stance so that he would look like a perfect hero. He put his left hand on his hip and let his weight shift all onto that side of his body. In a relaxed position he answered her question for whether he needed help.

“Well…” he started before cutting himself off. He had to actually think about how he wanted to handle this situation. Normally Kouta would have accepted any help, after all he did not want to turn other people away or seem as though he were a complete loner. Now however, it was different. He wanted to change himself and be able to do things on his own, without the help of others. Even so, the new player did not want to simply throw off someone else, as he knew that their information could prove to be very valuable.

“This is actually my first time to Yggdrasil City, do you know of any place where I could pick up some quests?” he asked.

This was probably the best he could do. Fenix could complete his objective of starting his journey towards becoming a stronger person. And besides there was the potential that he could make a new friend in this world. That is how he thought friends were made. In any of the dramas his sisters watched, they would always have the characters meet in situations like this, and then suddenly they would become friends.

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[Sinon]

MADE BY ★MEULK OF THQ

Sinon looked at the boy that stood in front of her. While he was looking at her, possibly gathering together what race she was, Sinon couldn't help but to blush and look away. I guess seeing someone with cat-like ears and tails for the first time would be pretty odd. The time between when he first started to look at her from the moment he started speaking again felt like ages to Sinon. Probably because she was getting a bit embarrassed from him staring and just wanted to move onto something else. She looked back at the boy and noticed that he had changed is stance to something that would seem very fitting to a heroic video game character and couldn't help but to giggle. When he mentioned quests, Sinon looked directly at him. It seemed as though he really wanted to get in the game already. I guess quests are a way to get to learning things about the game. "Of course! Quest boards are located within every city or town. They are usually located within the entrance of the city." Sinon wanted to go on about quests, but was afraid that this new player just wanted to be alone instead of dealing with her. "I could tell you more about quests, if you'd like. I've been playing ALO for quite some time by now." The more she spoke to the boy, the more comfortable she felt, but decided to let things play off as they go instead of seeming like she was trying to force a conversation from him. "I, uh, just noticed you seemed to be a bit lost. I could be very wrong about that, but I'm willing to help you out. Sorry if I am bothering you." She looked down at the ground and started to blush again. It was growing quite clear that Sinon wasn't very good at conversations. "Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Sinon," She said with a grin as she looked back up at him. 335 WORDS Fenix

[Fenix]

FullDive

Fenix smiled at learning that it would be easy to start his adventuring. However, he paused at this as he began to glance around his surroundings. Wasn’t this an entrance to the city? he thought while looking for any sort of object that could be a bulletin board. Nothing was immediately obvious to him, which began to frustrate him, though he did not show it.

As he looked around, he brought his eyes back to the girl who told him that she was a pretty active player. This made him excited, but it was something he could tell beforehand. It was the honesty of it that he enjoyed. For pretty much any encounter he had with his friends in the real world, there was never any real honesty. Even if it only lasted an instant, Kouta was glad that he was able to make it into this virtual world where some people were honest and not attempting to lie to you. Before he could speak, the girl began again, saying that she would be willing to help him out, and then apologized if she was bothering him.

“Don’t worry about it,” he grinned. As he said those words he realized how much more he liked conversing with other people. It was just an ordinary conversation, yet he enjoyed it. When she introduced herself, he could tell that she was a person that he would not mind getting to know better, or at least acting more like his real self, the player behind the device.

“I’ll be glad to take you up on that offer,” he stated, wanting to see more of Yggdrasil City with someone who was more experienced. Maybe they would show him all the best places to stop in the city, or at least help him navigate. He was never a really big city person, though he had been to Hiroshima before, and that was a new experience for him. Just standing on the outskirts of this virtual city was enough to remind him of that.

“This world must be really detailed, to even be able to make a city like this,’ Fenix said while giving one last glance around to the beginnings of the capital, ‘it’s nice to meet you Sinon, I’m Yuki….Fenix.”

Immediately upon giving his introduction he lit up red with embarrassment. In his first introduction to another player, his first impression, he had nearly used his real name. He had almost broken one of the taboos of any virtual gaming experience.

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[Sinon]

MADE BY ★MEULK OF THQ

She let out a sigh of relief when the boy replied back to her that basically let her know she wasn't being a bother to him. "I'm glad I'm not a bother to you. Sometimes, players can be pretty rude if you bother them." Sinon explained to him while thinking about a few moments in the past months where she tried to talk to different players and got met with rude responses from them. She couldn't help but to shiver at the thought of the embarrassment she got from dealing with them. "I'm glad you aren't like any of them. Especially when you are a Salamander race!" Sinon said without realized how rude that may have sounded. Once she did, she let out a gasp and covered her mouth. "S-Sorry." She mumbled. In ALfheim Online, it's quite common for players to label each race for different personality types. Salamanders tend to have a bad rep since past events in ALO, but Sinon didn't think that was fair for everyone of a certain race to be labeled a certain way. That didn't mean she would slip up from time to time because, in all honesty, Salamanders were true to the assumptions of others. I have a feeling he could probably change the reputation of the Salamander race. "R-Really?" Sinon's eyes lit up with excitement that she found a friend to go exploring with. "Well... I don't know everything there is to know about the world of ALO, but I'm sure we can learn a lot together!" She let out the biggest smile she had in quite some time. "Yggdrasil City is pretty amazing. I think most places in ALO are amazing once you get to check them out. Especially places within New Aincrad." Sinon couldn't help but to let out a giggle when Fenix had slipped up and gave out his actual name. Times like that would remind Sinon that they were in a virtual world. No matter how real it all felt, none of it was truly real. Though these friendships we all make here... Those are real and are usually carried over to the real world, right? "It's nice to meet you, Fenix. What would you be interested in seeing here in Yggdrasil?" 374 WORDS Fenix

[Fenix]

FullDive

While trying to hide his embarrassment Fenix was blocking out most of the world, hoping that what had just happened would go unnoticed. He realized he had failed at that when he heard the giggling. At that moment he wanted to do anything he could to forget about it, but he knew it was an impossible. Once something is done, it is there to stay.

The Salamander began to calm his worries when Sinon said it was a pleasure to meet him, and then asked if there was anything he wanted to see in the city. At being asked such a simple question he found himself speechless. What was there to see in the city? Fenix did not know the answer he wanted to say. Cities had always been a mystery to him. There were many places he wanted to go if he were able to visit a city, but those were mainly the attractions that all the tourists were heading off to see. It was much different in the virtual world that was meant for questing.

Fenix raised his hand up to his chin as he went into even more thought about what he actually wanted to see in the city. Food places? No, it isn’t real food, only fools you. Equipment shops? No again, I don’t have any money. What else would be in this questing city? Trapped in his thoughts the new player did not have any clue as to where he would want to go.

“Could I leave it up to your suggestion?” he asked Sinon while resuming his regular posture. She should know more about this city and if there is anything to see here, Fenix told himself. Though after asking her to decide, he did feel the tinge of guilt for not being decisive and making it the job of someone else to choose where to go. I hope she has suggestions, he thought but then came up with a possible solution. Even if there is nowhere to go in the city, I’m sure that I can get a quest and ask her to complete it with me.

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[Sinon]

MADE BY ★MEULK OF THQ

Sinon noticed that Fenix was thinking hard about where to go. She looked around the area surrounding them. I guess this city could be quite overwhelming with so many places to visit. There are multiple shops, restaurants, Inns and such just in this one city alone. Looking around for the best one would take some time. Even though I've been playing ALO for quite some time, I doubt I even know what are the best places around here. After letting Fenix think about where he would like to visit, he finally gave Sinon the choice to pick a place. "There is so much to see in Yggdrasil. It's quite overwhelming, but you did mention quests before. Perhaps we could find an NPC that is giving out some quests?" "Actually, there are a few different ways to find quests. You can find an NPC with a golden exclamation point above there head. That signifies that they have a quest that you can do. There are quest boards located around cities and towns. These are usually posted by NPCs or even other player's. Player's can send out quests if they are in need of help." Sinon said, trying to give Fenix the basic information about quests. Since Yggdrasil is such a big city, they would probably have an easier chance at finding an NPC rather than looking for a quest board. While thinking about the quests to do, Sinon remembered that in the area around the entrance to Yggdrasil City, most of the beginner quests were located around there. If Fenix is up to it, we can head over there. It isn't too far away. I hope he doesn't mind the beginner quests. They are pretty simple, but it is to help him get the swing of things in ALO. "What do you think about it? Are you ready to take on your first quest already? Well... After we find the right one." 321 WORDS Fenix

[Fenix]

FullDive

Fenix listened as his new acquaintance explained all the places where he would be able to find quests within the city and how he would be able to accept them easily. He kept nodding to let her know that he was listening to her, wanting to a take in all information so that he would not have to ask again for a repeat.

“Yeah, let’s take on a quest,” he answered while swiping open his menu. He opened up the map and glanced over it for icons that had an exclamation point. When he saw one, he selected Bulletin Board as his destination.

“We can head this way in order to get one,” he said while turning his map out so that Sinon could see it. After holding it there for a few seconds he began to walk in the direction of the Bulletin Board. It did not take long to reach the quest selection area.

As Fenix reached it, he turned back to make sure he had not lost Sinon, because if he did, one of the reasons he was going to take this quest would no longer be there. After that glance he turned back towards the board and began scanning the different quests that were there. There were Bounties on different players posted, as well as the typical hunting quests. Fenix did not know which kind of quest would be best to take at this point of time. He did not know his own combat abilities, and he did not know the difference in skill that could be between him and his new friend.

“Any quest that you would suggest taking?’ he asked, wanting to see what Sinon was interested in doing, ‘also don’t mind me, we should take a quest we can both enjoy!”

The last part was something he wanted to add so that she would not take the hit and do a super easy quest with him. He wanted both of them to enjoy the quest and gain the benefits of completing it.

339Sinon

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[Sinon]

MADE BY ★MEULK OF THQ

Sinon felt excited that Fenix was willing to take on some quests with her. Taking on quests together would give her the time to analyze what type of player he would be. Who he end up being the type to rush ahead to get the job done or would he be the type to help struggling teammates to assure everyone would finish the quest safely together. I really hope he will be more of a team player. I have good feelings from him so far. Together they mapped the way to the nearest bulletin board in order to start their search to find the best quests to start off with. "Lead the way." While heading to the bulletin board, Sinon followed behind Fenix, but ended up losing pace when she get other players ahead of her. She made sure that she didn't lose sight of the Salamander. Ugh, this is my fault for being too nice and letting other players ahead while I follow behind. To her relief, Fenix had already found the bulletin board and was waiting for her. She rushed her way to stop by his side where they took a long look at the list of quests that they could take on. "Hm..." She gave the bulletin board a harder look as she began to think of quests to do. "Preparing for a Feast. It's considered a beginner quest, but we'll have to go after some frenzy boar. It'll help you get use to how ALO works. Plus we can get the Party Formation quest done when we do it. We'll be completing two quests at once." Sinon kept looking through the quests to see if there were any other quests that they could complete together in case Fenix wasn't interested in doing the one she had suggested. "I think that "Preparing for a Feast" quest would be great for you. You can take on multiple enemies. I'll have your back if you get overwhelmed." "That's my suggestion...." She said, trailing off as she looked away from the bulletin board and over to the boy. "Do you have any suggestions? Anything that really catches your eye?" 259 WORDS Fenix

[Fenix]

FullDive

As Fenix stared back at Sinon, she gave her idea on what the two should do for a quest. Preparing for a Feast and a Party quest, eh? he thought while glancing back over the board and picking out the quests she had suggested. He listened as she continued her explanation of the quests that she was talking about and he began to like them even more. He would have the opportunity to fight alongside someone else and see how more experienced players managed to battle inside the world.

"Both those quests sound fine to me. And I'm glad I'll be able to have you watching my back, working as a team is always better than trying to fight by yourself," he said while giving her a friendly smile. This was how a person was supposed to forge relationships with others, by showing that you could genuinely care about having them around you.

After responding to her, he went back to the board and selected both the quests and clicked the "Accept" button on both. With them started he swung them both over to the side of his screen where he could glance at the brief details when necessary. So this is the start of my adventure here, he told himself while spinning around to face his new partner again.

“So how would we go about making this party?” Fenix asked while trying to hold back the excitement he was feeling towards the beginning of this new adventure.

248Sinon

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[Sinon]

MADE BY ★MEULK OF THQ

Sinon nodded her head in agreement to Fenix's comment about how fighting with someone else would be much better than fighting alone. "I'll only have time to complete these two quests before I have to log off for the day, but when I send you a friend request, you'll be able to send me a message any time you'd like to do more quests together." She couldn't help but to smile back at him. I hope I won't let him down. I know I'll be able to hold my own, but things could happen.... While Fenix had accepted the quests, Sinon went ahead to do the same. With a wave of her hand, she pulled up the game menu. Searching through the different options, she finally found the section for quests and accepted the right ones before closing out of the quest menu and opening her friend list. There she hit the search box and typed in Fenix's name. "I'll send you a friend request first. Once you accept that, an option to send me a party invite should pop-up. Just hit the button and I'll accept it right away. We should be able to get the skill points for that right away. If you want, any skill points you earn you can add them before we move on to the real quest." She hit the search button after inputting the name "Fenix" into the search. Once his profile popped up, she hit the "send friend request" to him. "There." "Are you ready to start our first quest together? Or would you like to hold on a bit?" Sinon said as she started to stretch. Her heart felt as if it was racing with excitement, though there was an overwhelming feeling of nervousness in her chest. It's not difficult, but the feeling of going into battle is so... Scary. I hope we don't encounter any players who plan on ruining our fun. 322 WORDS Fenix

[Fenix]

FullDive

“That’s fine,” Fenix replied after hearing that she would only be able to finish the two quests before having to logoff for the night. That would probably be his cutoff as well, as he did have to wake up early for classes the next day. He listened as she then explained that with a friend request he would be able to message her any time if he wanted to do another quest with her. When he noticed she was done typing in her menus, he saw a box pop-up in front of him.

Just seeing the words, “Sinon wants to be your Friend,” appear before him was enough to get a radiating smile of joy on his face. My first friend in this world, he thought as he clicked the accept button. There was no way he was going to just let this moment fly away, he was going to treasure it as his first step forward in a new life. In the real world all the friendships were built so that you would surround yourself with others who would bring out the best in your own qualities. However, in this world, he could already tell the difference. People would form bonds of friendship for the joy of not being alone as they go through their adventure. Fenix had to give himself a light slap to the face before he could contain himself enough to press the button to send a party invitation to Sinon.

“I’m ready to start at any time,” he announced, no longer able to hide the excitement he was feeling by starting an adventure with someone new, no…not just someone…a friend. This was truly the beginning of his journey, hopefully in the future he would be able to change into a stronger person, both within and outside of the world.

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