T̷h̷e̸ ̵G̶a̴m̸e̵ - A VR Role-play

[HeavensHens88]

She placed her hands on her hips for added attitude, she looked at the tree creature “well? Do you?” She demanded. Cassie’s eyes narrowed and stared at the Spriggan, she folded her arms then placed them back on her hips and then folded them again. She wasn’t sure what position made her look more menacing and less like a strange demented creature, she settled on her hands on her hips, although maybe if she placed one hand on her hip and jutted her other hip out it might make her appear a little more sassy. Cassie looked at the Spriggan and waited for it to reply

Sphagnum definitely didn't lapse into screensaver mode for a hot minute there.
At first, it was tempting to give her the first unrelated -better yet, discomfortable- word that came to mind and let her throw it around for an amusing while before delivering the truth with inappropriate belatedness.
But her vain attempts to appear intimidating were amusing enough to make the honest truth tasteful. There was no need to further confound a child that had a hard enough time producing a presentable posture.
"I go by Sphagnum. Like the moss." Sphagnum decided it'd now be jocular to make their size difference apparent and stretched back up to full height, extending a spindly hand for a amicable shake on the way. "And now it seems your own title is in fair question."

 

[Butterscotchbitesfinger]

Sphagnum definitely didn't lapse into screensaver mode for a hot minute there.
At first, it was tempting to give her the first unrelated -better yet, discomfortable- word that came to mind and let her throw it around for an amusing while before delivering the truth with inappropriate belatedness.
But her vain attempts to appear intimidating were amusing enough to make the honest truth tasteful. There was no need to further confound a child that had a hard enough time producing a presentable posture.
"I go by Sphagnum. Like the moss." Sphagnum decided it'd now be jocular to make their size difference apparent and stretched back up to full height, extending a spindly hand for a amicable shake on the way. "And now it seems your own title is in fair question."

“S-Spagnum?!” She almost laughed, then it stretched into full height and she had to grip the cliff wall to stop herself from toppling over. “Very well, Cassandra. If you ever call me Cassandra though I will put an arrow through your head you talking tree” she threatened “I prefer Cassie”. It was a very tall spriggan and when at full height quite a bit taller than her, as a matter of fact, a lot taller than her.

 

[TamingMaster]

Leita had climbed a fair distance down the sharp, black mountain. She still had more to climb, but was making good progress.

Halfway down, she had decided that all the tiresome climbing had warranted a short break, so she perched on a thin, but sturdy, ledge to her right.

After taking out her bottle of water and taking a few sips, she let out a small sigh, starting her descent again, hoping she would reach the bottom soon. At least my leg doesn't hurt anymore. That balm must've been a calming antiseptic or something...

Looking around, there seemed to be little indication of time where she was; the sun covered by thick, darkening clouds. She didn't know how many hours of daylight she had left, for all she knew hours could've passed.

A small drop of rain grazed her shoulder, drawing her attention, followed by a few more across her back and legs. The gentle droplets quickly turning into a heavy shower, soaking her and the rocks around her.

"Man, I missed the water." She grinned upwards, letting it rinse through her hair, dripping down her face. The scent was fresh and reminded her of home, which was a welcome note.

At first, she was glad about the unexpected rainfall, as it washed the slime and dirt away. But, it had started to make it difficult for her to cling to the rocks, her croc'ed foot slipping off every few steps.

Thunder rattled through the sky, lightning following shortly after, striking the side of the mountain. This caused Leita to freeze, pulling herself as close to the stoney wall as she could.

Bing. Quiet chiming broke through the angry growl of the sky, calling to the girl on the rocks.

Leita looked up, spotting a small, humanoid, rock-creature. It had no mouth or nose, just two tiny eyes that appeared to be carved holes, dissappearing into a void. It was reminiscent of Kodama, and made out of the same material as the mountain.

There was no sign of hostility from the creature, it just seemed curious. Which was a good thing for Leita, because she couldn't have reached her sword, even if she wanted to. "What the- What are you?"

The creature chimed back in a happy tone, then took a few steps closer to Leita. It used one of its handless arms to tap her finger, its head twitching to the side, like a dog who'd just heard its favourite word.

It started to walk away, its stumps of legs tinkering against the wet stone, heading towards a slim opening in the rocks. After a few steps, it stopped and glanced back at her, as if to say: "Are you coming?"

Leita thought she was going crazy. She'd never seen anything like the little carved creature before, and now she was about to follow it. Maybe it's altitude sickness. This has to be a hallucination.

She hoisted herself up the slippery mountain edge, carefully testing the rock edge as she followed the creature as it led her into the slim cavern.

"Great, I'm back in the mountain again." She stated, flicking some of the water off of herself and checking her bag. "At least we're out of the rain."

The tiny creature tapped her leg insistently, tinkering further into the cave, prompting her to, once again, follow it.

She didn't want to go back to the slime-filled hole she had woken up in, but something told her that she wasn't being led back there.

This creature was taking her somewhere else.

As Leita made her way through the new cave, following the taps of the little stone creature, the sound of the rain faded into the distance.

The passage slimmed, leading into a huge cavern. Tiny, glowing, orange bugs sailed through the air, their fiery light causing shadows to dance along the walls. They illuminated thousands of crystal stalactites that spiraled down from the roof of the cavern, dripping the purist of water.

"Ahaah," Leita muttered in awe. Her eyes widened, sparkling in the dim light. She had no idea where in the world she was, but the caves were definitely beautiful.

The little rock creature tapped her ankle, once again. It looked up at her, it's movement even more twitchy and curious than before.

Leita crouched down, looking down at the creature. She extended a hand, holding her index finger out. "You still need me to follow you?"

It carefully took hold of her finger, giving it a little pull, before pointing towards another smaller pathway. It continued on its mission, racing across the dark rock, through a stream of clear water, impatiently waiting at the entrance of said pathway for Leita.

She let out a little giggle, before rising to follow it. "I guess that's a yes."

The path led to a large, carved, spiral staircase, lit by nests of glowbugs draped from the walls. Stairs? Why are there stairs here?

Leita glanced at the rock creature, before taking a few steps down the stairs. "Hello?"

No reply.

She took a few more steps down, wondering where the little creature was taking her. It plopped down the steps, each as tall as it was, desperately trying to keep up with her.

Eventually the pair reached the end of the steps, a glaring light shining through the exit, much like the previous cave.
This time, Leita was much more careful with her approach, as she took small, testing steps towards it.

As soon as she could see a safe path out, she raced through the opening. "We're at the bottom of the mountain?!" She yelled excitedly. "This is amazing! We can finally try to find somewhere with people! Come on."

She turned back, looking at her new friend. It stood back from the entrance, not daring to take a step further, tilting it's head.

"What's wrong?" She walked back over to it, kneeling down. The creature just stared back, its expression still blank. "... You can't leave the mountain?"

Tink. It replied, confirming her suspicions.

She sighed solemnly, reaching a finger put and tapping its little hand. "Thank you, little rock brah."

Tink, tink. The creature replied, as if to show its happiness and own gratitude.

Leita looked back at the dirt path, beyond it was huge darkwood forest.
When she turned back to the cave, the rock creature was gone.

She continued on, picking a direction of the path and following it forward. Thinking back on the potential hallucination and smiling fondly. Thank you.

 

[HeavensHens88]

“S-Spagnum?!” She almost laughed, then it stretched into full height and she had to grip the cliff wall to stop herself from toppling over. “Very well, Cassandra. If you ever call me Cassandra though I will put an arrow through your head you talking tree” she threatened “I prefer Cassie”. It was a very tall spriggan and when at full height quite a bit taller than her, as a matter of fact, a lot taller than her.

"The margins are wonderfully undefined when you weren't grown in idyllic laboratory conditions," Sphagnum stated quite arbitrarily, but also in response to her barely guised mirth at the name. "Oh, forgive me, I forgot that is not how you humans are produced."

Sphagnum was quite fond of the strange, stiff regimen of human introduction and was keenly aware that she hadn't followed through entirely. But even though a handshake didn't seem to be in the cards for the officiation of this relationship, Sphagnum staved off disappointment with the vow that it'd get to enact formalities, one way or another.
"Well met, Cassie. I'll be sure to keep your other moniker far out of my vocabulary as long as you refrain from calling me Creature." It brandished a terrific smile of black denticulations here, just to accentuate its inhumanity on beat. "Wildly tempting, I know."
Sphagnum then broke eye contact to cast a surveying glance over their surroundings. "Is this place your natural habitat?"

 

[Butterscotchbitesfinger]

"The margins are wonderfully undefined when you weren't grown in idyllic laboratory conditions," Sphagnum stated quite arbitrarily, but also in response to her barely guised mirth at the name. "Oh, forgive me, I forgot that is not how you humans are produced."

Sphagnum was quite fond of the strange, stiff regimen of human introduction and was keenly aware that she hadn't followed through entirely. But even though a handshake didn't seem to be in the cards for the officiation of this relationship, Sphagnum staved off disappointment with the vow that it'd get to enact formalities, one way or another.
"Well met, Cassie. I'll be sure to keep your other moniker far out of my vocabulary as long as you refrain from calling me Creature." It brandished a terrific smile of black denticulations here, just to accentuate its inhumanity on beat. "Wildly tempting, I know."
Sphagnum then broke eye contact to cast a surveying glance over their surroundings. "Is this place your natural habitat?"

She smiled back, “okay then Sphagnum” she agreed, she almost laughed at the question about this being her habitat. “No, no I live in a house with my family. Actually I was wondering if you knew how we got here? Like I woke up here and I’m super confused, the double headed snake kind of made me think I’m not on earth anymore but where else would I be?”

 

[Yowza Wowza]

She frowned and turned her hand over “it would appear I do. I would be killed if I got a tattoo by my mother” she explained. She frowned “wait. That means if I ever get out of here my mother will absolutely kill me”. She folded her arms tightly across her chest, “where do you suppose we are? Like first I was in a rainforest then we were in a desert now we are on a serene beach with money”

Evan’s eyes widened in shock at the sight of massive number gap between his number and hers.

63?! That’s about.. a 56 number difference! ...But could there be a whole bunch of us out here?

He rubbed his chin and gave a short chuckle at her comment. “Yeah, my grandparents would never let me hear the end of it if they found out I had a tattoo. They’d think I joined a gang or something.” he said with an anxious smile. He gave a look around, truly not having the slightest idea of where they could be that included constantly changing environments. “Not a clue, it doesn’t seem we’re even on Earth anymore..”

Sure with the exceptions of an established base on the Moon, a couple missions to Mars, and high speed rail in specific areas of the country, nothing seemed this advanced for them to be experiencing these events. “It could be something.. like a simulation? I’ve played a lot of simulation games before.” He shrugged, “But none were like this.”

Evan stroked the top of his buzzed hair nervously, growing uncomfortable from being out in the open like this, and especially without a weapon. “We should start heading inland, this beach is making me feel strange.” he said, already walking away from Lyra’s side and up the sandy slope towards the trees.

 

[Amer]

“Well, I hope you kids learned something. It builds character,” said Hewitt. He noticed a river of crimson flowing from his arm, apparently from a wayward bug claw. “Oh look, I’m bleeding. Well, it’s time I leave you two.” Hewitt promptly wandered off into the distance, disappearing into the blue, because now Amer has a life and doesn’t have time to play him.

 

[TamingMaster]

Fabian swung their hammer down, hard, just missing the first crab as it raced by. Their hands shook as they took an unsteady breath, trying to outmanoeuvre their foes.

It was quickly followed by the rest of the small army, all taking vicious snips at the exhausted Fabian, occasionally getting close enough to tear small chunks from their clothing.

The scorching sun made the situation evermore uncomfortable. Beads of sweat dripped down their forehead, fighting through their eyebrows only to purposely discomfort their eyes - more than the blinding white sand had ever. Their palms, similarly, were becoming soaked with sweat, making it difficult to grip the handle of the hammer.

Fabian started taking heavier breaths, their vision blurring from either sweat or exhaustion. If they weren't killed by the crabs, then they'd definitely be killed by the blistering heat.

They gritted their sharp teeth together, letting the rage inside them grow. I've had enough of this. I've had enough of this desert. I've had enough of these crabs. I've had enough of running. I-

"I'VE HAD ENOUGH," they yelled furiously, dropping the hammer between their feet.

Slime started to ooze out of their hands, dripping off their fingertips and clotting as it fell into the powdered sand below.

Fabian let out a growl, deciding that they should take the creatures head on, despite the risks.

As the crabs tried to attack, Fabian chased after them, flinging their slime towards them.
It clung to their exoskeletons, pulling at their limbs, and clumping in the white dunes. Though the critters struggled desperately to free themselves, they couldn't escape the hardening slime.

Crabs half-devoured by the secretion tried to pinch themselves loose.
Those in the softer slime had their other claw absorbed in with the rest of their bodies. And those trying to snip through solid slime were unable to make much of an impact, aside from a few scratches.

Glowing marks appeared on Fabian's face, a sign that they were getting close to their limit. They were dehydrated, tired, and dangerously close to the effects of using their adaption.

They'd pinned at least ten of the speedy miniatures down, but their slime had started to lose consistency, becoming less sticky, and they weren't able to catch the last two.

They wobbled a little as they made their way back over to the hammer, pausing to gather the strength to lift it. It's only two more... Just two...

A deep breath was all it took to hoist it above their head, before they swung it down on the closest crab, shattering it into a million tiny pieces and pushing them into the grainy terrain.

An abrupt side-swing took the second by surprise, knocking it through the air, sending pieces of shell flying across the dunes as it disappeared.

Fabian's body trembled, fighting its own urge to collapse. Their lips paled as their marks glowed brighter. But, they were fueled by their anger, forcing each step.

They smashed every single last crab in sight, even giving the big one an extra hit, just to be sure it wouldn't get up again.

Individually, they poofed into little, red clouds of smoke. The largest having cloud more suitable for it's size. They were quickly followed by four silver coins, dropping pretty much into Fabian's lap.

"I must be delirious," they mumbled, scooping the coins, and a fair amount of sand, into the bag they'd fought so hard for.

They limped back to the hollow tree, the one they'd found the hammer next to, and tucked themself inside, hoping it would keep them safe for the time being.

"I'll just rest here for a bit," Fabian said, their breathing slowing and growing further apart. "Then I'll find a way out of this hell hole."

There was a short moment of silence, just before Fabian closed their eyes. "I'm sorry moms, I promise... I haven't run away again... I'll be home... soon..."

"You just picked me because you wanted to be a saviour, and I looked the most damaged." Fabian yelled back through the locked door.

"No," their mom replied, "we picked you because we wanted you to be part of our family." She gently placed her hand against the door, "We picked you because you shone the brightest."

"Shut up! Shut up, shut up!" Fabian burst through the door, racing down the stairs. They pushed past their second mom, who was standing at the bottom, and rushed to the front door. They flung it wide open, running down the street until they were far out of sight.

Their first mom tried to run after them, following them until she lost sight of them. "Fabian, come home! Please..."

Fabian slowly opened their eyes, staring at nothing in particular. They let out a sigh, their breath forming a white puff in front of them. I was a horrible son, huh.

It didn't take long for them to realise the cold feeling creeping across their body. Or how the inside of the hollow tree trunk was different, somehow.

The smell had changed, going from a humid burning to a fresh chill.
The light followed a similar pattern, a warm yellow was now a cool, pale blue.

They crawled out of the now-smaller hole, squinting through the white light that reflected off the snow.

"What the hell?" Fabian touched the frozen ground, it melting slightly. Their fingers turned bright red as they caught up with the temperature of the new climate.

There's no way I hallucinated an entire desert. They put a hand to their head. What about the crabs, and the bag, and the hammer?

They ducked down, peering back into the hollow trunk. There, propped up against the inner wall, was the hammer they had dug up. Next to it sat the bag they'd fought so hard for, filled with the coins of their victory.

They slung the bag across their chest, the black fabric blending with that of their t-shirt, and pulled the hammer out.
Whether they'd hallucinated it or not, they decided to keep the hammer, just in case.

They breathed a deep breath, taking a few steps forward, their eyes scanning their environment.

Giant pine trees, spaced a fair distance apart, covered as far as the eye could see. They caught large amounts of heavy snow, leaving the gaps to be blanketed with the leftovers. There was no other foliage in sight, as it had been covered by the snow, no doubt.

The ground was a frozen tundra, and the snow had made it difficult to determine whether or not it was safe to walk on. The only truly safe ground was that below the trees, which had been left untouched by the freezing weather.

Instead of making them worried, the sudden change of place had left Fabian incredibly angry.

They gritted their teeth tightly, scowling at the world. "I could've dealt with the stupid desert, but no. I had to somehow be put here. In this cold- Ugh."

"Stupid snow." They violently tried to kick the snow out of their path, the random direction they'd picked, but it barely moved.

It wasn't long before they started to shiver. Their arms wrapped around their chest, and their hands were tucked into their armpits, as they desperately tried to stay warm.

They screamed loudly, shouting obscenities at the trees, snow, and anything in sight. Their rage was probably the only reason they hadn't completely frozen.

But, they trudged on, the bottom of their jeans soaked with partially melted snow. Their shoes in a similar state, soggy all the way through, water slowly absorbing into their socks.

Fabian quickly reached a clearing where the snow was slightly thinner, in comparison to the previous masses.
Tiny shrubs had pushed their way through, fueled by the miserable amount of sun. They added colour to the bland biome, in the form of yellows, teals, and pinks.

In the middle of the clearing, laid on top of the shrubbery, was a black insulated jacket, lined with fleece.
There was no one in sight, no one who could've left it, and it seemed like the only chance Fabian had of surviving.

They walked over, trying not to use up their, already lacking, energy. They weaved through the shrubs, the sharp branches scratching at the fabric of their jeans, threatening to rip them if Fabian wasn't careful.

As they reached out to pick the jacket up, their reddened fingers burning from the frigid air, a sudden noise stopped them in their tracks.

Crack.

Fabian quietly looked down, using their shoe to gently brush some of the snow out of the way.

Below them was a vast shelf of foggy ice, underneath which was a body of deep blue water. Darker shadows flitted around in the water, tracing the lines in the splitting layer of ice.

"I am not doing this again." Fabian scrunched their face into an angry glare, deciding what exactly to do. But, that said, they weren't really one for thinking about their actions.

From what they could see, the shrubs were growing in the ice, like it was substrate, each having a single root that extended into the water.
If they could clear the shrubland, they would clear the ice, and aboid being pulled into the depths by whatever abomination inhabited them.

One hand carefully grabbed the jacket, the other held the hammer tightly.
They didn't plan on sticking around, or moving slowly. So, the only good option was to run. Fast.

Running to the left seemed like the best way, as it was a shorter distance, but the brush was much thicker, meaning it would be difficult to get through quickly.
The right was further away, but thinner; the better route of the two, since they couldn't go back, and they definitely wouldn't make it if they tried to go forwards.

Crack, the ice splintered even louder than before, echoing through the open air.

Fabian took a deep breath, taking a single moment to prepare, before running like he never had before.

 

[Butterscotchbitesfinger]

Evan’s eyes widened in shock at the sight of massive number gap between his number and hers.

63?! That’s about.. a 56 number difference! ...But could there be a whole bunch of us out here?

He rubbed his chin and gave a short chuckle at her comment. “Yeah, my grandparents would never let me hear the end of it if they found out I had a tattoo. They’d think I joined a gang or something.” he said with an anxious smile. He gave a look around, truly not having the slightest idea of where they could be that included constantly changing environments. “Not a clue, it doesn’t seem we’re even on Earth anymore..”

Sure with the exceptions of an established base on the Moon, a couple missions to Mars, and high speed rail in specific areas of the country, nothing seemed this advanced for them to be experiencing these events. “It could be something.. like a simulation? I’ve played a lot of simulation games before.” He shrugged, “But none were like this.”

Evan stroked the top of his buzzed hair nervously, growing uncomfortable from being out in the open like this, and especially without a weapon. “We should start heading inland, this beach is making me feel strange.” he said, already walking away from Lyra’s side and up the sandy slope towards the trees.

She watched him go and looked back at the peaceful water, she was kind of enjoying being on the beach. Lyra nodded slowly, a simulation... was it even possible? She glanced at Evan who was struggling up the beach through the deep sand, she took one last look at the serene beach and swung the backpack onto her shoulders before setting off to follow Evan. There was no way she was going to leave the only person who seemed half normal in this place.

 

[TamingMaster]

Nina shrugged, peering down the street at the sign. She squinted, barely able to make out the words Aromatica Tea printed in a curling font. I need to get my eyes checked, I've been putting it off for too long, she thought offhandedly, blinking when an unwelcome realization struck her. If I get out of here. Her heart dropped, and she swallowed uncomfortably, her mouth suddenly dry.

Glancing at Damir, she cleared her throat. "If you don't ask, the answer's always no, right?" She stuck her hands into the pockets of her jeans again, rocking back onto her heels. "It's as good an idea as any..." Something small and cold touched her hand, and she trailed off. Grabbing the thing, she brought it to the light; a small, plain silver coin lay in her palm. She stared at it for a second before shaking her head and returning it to her pocket. It was no use questioning the workings of this place anymore, so why bother?
"I guess we might actually be able to buy something now if need be," she noted, starting uncertainly toward the dingy little shop.

(Just to clarify, I forgot to give her a coin for busting out of the room earlier so here it is now lol)

(Ah, yeah. XD)

Damir unzipped his bag, taking out his own silver coin and showing it briefly to Nina. "I found a coin too... When I was outside the other building..."
He tucked it away, walking alongside her as they headed for the little tea shop.

When they reached the door, Damir gave Nina a quick glance, before pushing it open and taking a cautious step inside, holding it open for her to do the same.

The inside of the small shop was the complete opposite of the city outside. It was warm, clean, and gave off a bunch of amazing smells; citrus, flowers, tea leaves, and things Damir hadn't even smelled before.

The walls were shelved, holding an assortment of tea sets, spoons, cups, saucers, preparation equipment, table cloths, and occasionally a pot containing a live tea plant or flower.

A curved counter was tucked into the back left corner, decorated with various items from the shop, and a beautiful birdcage, made from a silver metal. Behind which were a few more shelves, holding jars filled with dried ingredients.

A tall woman, her afro filled with flowers, was standing behind the counter, reaching up to the higher shelves. She appeared to be taking some of the ingredients from the jars and spooning them into little pouches, tying them with a ribbon when full.

Damir looked toward Nina and shrugged, before stepping towards the counter. "E-Excuse me?"

The woman turned around, smiling excitedly as she made her way over to her new customers.
"Welcome to the Aromatica Tea Shop! I'm Zahara." She greeted the pair. "What can I help you with today?"

Damir was glad that someone was finally talking to them, but had little idea on what to say. "Could you tell us where we are?"

"You're in Aromatica Tea Shop, located in the heart of the Safe Zone." Zahara smiled, "Can I help you with anything else? We have a half-price deal on Becalm Tea today."

"The Safe Zone?" Damir looked down at Nina, his heart racing anxiously. "What- What does that mean?"