Chapter 0013

Due to Leviene’s impromptu wrestling match and subsequent encounter with an insane woman she was the last to arrive at the meeting point. Erica started on the short Perrian Let as soon as she showed up. “Well, you were the last to to arrive so tell me you found something.”

“Nothing.”

“You mean tell me, I walked around the stupid city all for nothing! I should have sit here while you nerds explored the city. Not that it would do any good since we all found nothing. All that effort waste. Now I’m stuck here in this stupid game, with all these looser. I’m not like you NEET. I want to go home. Fashion week starts soon. And mom promise me a shopping trip to Paris and Milan if I pass all my classes. I know I pass all my classes. I studied so hard for the shopping trip. But noooo, I’m here in this freaking game with 2 shut in doing god knows what besides trying to find a way home.”

Knowing Erica’s rant can be least an hour a or more once she gets going, Leviene PM Sylphie.

[Leviene whisper to Sylphie]: How was the state of affairs?

[Sylphie whisper to Leviene]: Arashia is a new server. There is no economy.

[Leviene whisper to Sylphie]: What are we going to do?

[Sylphie whisper to Leviene]: We play the game.

[Leviene whisper to Sylphie]: Ugh.

The short Perrian Let zone out Erica’s nagging while paying close attention to her cousin. She doesn’t know what her cousin is up to but Leviene knows Sylphie is up to something. Sylphie is never this dazed. The adjective belong to Leviene.

[Leviene whisper to Sylphie]: What are you doing?

[Sylphie whisper to Leviene]: Looking at classes.

Oooohhh. Finally they are getting somewhere.

Gamers spend an inordinate amount of time choosing their name and customizing their character to their specific taste. Nobody want to stare at an ugly character all day. If a gamer is playing 6 to 8 hours every day, then they want to see a character pleasing their sense of aesthetic. Some players, ahem cough John cough Kaleseze cough cough, spend more time designing their character’s appearance than picking a job or class.

There are some gamers who favor stats or racial bonus over aesthetic. For example the Perrian Let has a racial bonus of +10% constitution and +10% endurance, the Tajin Nost has +10% strength and +10% precision while the Ruse Maren have +10% agility and +10% to dexterity. Leviene chose the Perrian Let race because of flight ability and the bonus to constitution and endurance has a more universal applications. The race is also beautiful.

However should the same racial bonus be applied to a green skin ugly ogre, Leviene will deviate to the other prettier classes.

Hardcore gamers will chose to play the ugly ogre for the racial bonus.

To a gamer, choosing a job or class is not important. Most dedicated games have two or three characters they play on the same account.

Arashia is different.

Right now the priorities of gamers are completely reverse. The humans have little input about their appearances. The face you are born with is the face you are going to get.

A class can be chosen.

The uncertainty of choosing a class burdens a lot of new players. Having the line between the virtual world and real world blurred place a greater burden on the humans of Arashia.

There are several uncertainties associated with a player’s choice of class but the two biggest concerns when choosing a class in Arashia is the potential for multiple class and the skills required for the chosen class.

When a buyer goes to the store, they touch the product on display, mess around with it a bit before they buy it. If the shopper doesn’t like the product, they can return it.

The possibility of exchange for classes is unknown. There are no information about any of the classes. Game companies release information about their classes ahead of time so they players can explore possible builds or skill set or build a theoretical model highlighting the highest damage per second, abbreviated dps, possible for each class.

However, the players in Arashia were forcibly transported here without any prior knowledge. Therefore their knowledge of the classes is limited. Furthermore, the consequences for choosing the wrong class is dire. The players waste time exploring the class.

Time is important in any new game. Once the other players outstrips you in level and gear, they can come back and kill you. In a virtual reality game, it is an inconvenience to die several times from pkers. In real life…. well, one can imagine the consequences. Dying might be a godsend.

Most players are average. Some classes require a great deal of skills and proficiency to play. Lousy player with a skill intensive class, well, prepare to die often.

[Leviene whisper to Sylphie]: What tank and healing class you going for?

[Sylphie whisper to Leviene]: What made you think I was going to chose a healing and tanking class?

[Leviene whisper to Sylphie]: Because the guild leader should always be able to step in when the guild needs something and every guild needs a main tank or healers.

[Sylphie whisper to Leviene]: What if I play dps for a change? Ever thought of that?

[Leviene whisper to Sylphie]: Yeah, I did. I’d do what I’m doing now. Play all 3.

[Sylphie whisper to Leviene]: Do you even know if you can?

[Leviene whisper to Sylphie]: Do you even know if you can’t?

[Sylphie whisper to Leviene]: Sec, got a message from John.

“...and now I’m going to miss all the fun things I got planned for summer vacation. We have to find the exit soon. I don’t want to miss anymore than I already have. Laurie, did you hear a word I’ve said?” Erica’s ranting stopped mid stride when she notice Leviene’s dazed expression.

“Sec. John’s messaging us.” Leviene was glad she had an excuse to ignore Erica. Who knows how long her complaints will last this time.

“Drop group and accept the party invite. Erica, behave.” Sylphie sternly warned the Ruse Marren. A repeat of the previous incident will not be tolerated.

[Party - Kaleseze]: Good, everyone here.

[Party - Sylphie]: Who’s HotSauce and Hawkian?

[Party - HotSauce]: Cary

[Party - Hawkian]: Mark

[Party - TresBelleSoleil]: Hey Mark, it’s me Erica. How did you get here? Did you find a way out? Anyone else we know here? We have to get out of here. Fashion week is going to start soon. Do you have a plan? What do you want us to do?

[Party - Sylphie]: Enough Erica. Let other people talk.

[Party - TresBelleSoleil]: They should be talking if they have anything to say. I’m just trying to get information so I can go home. I don’t want to be here with you nerds. The geekiness is starting to rub off on me. What kind of fashion are these crappy rags.

[Party - Kaleseze]: Enough Erica!

[Party - Kaleseze]: Did anyone find out anything important?

Kaleseze has the greatest patience among the players in the party. Sylphie was the guild leader of Slaughter in their previous MMO Dark Drake Kingdom, but it was Kaleseze who was the raid leader.

A raid leader is someone who organized guild expedition to a dungeon or instances, hunt roaming bosses or gather information about upcoming bosses. Being a raid leader is no less stressful than being a guild leader.

There is only one guild leader but there can be more than one raid leaders. Raid leaders compete with each other for the sake of their pride and for followers. Everyone wants to join the high end raids. No one wants to be stuck with a second rate raid group, dying multiple times because their raid members are incompetent, poorly geared or is incapable of understanding simple instructions.

How hard can it be to follow the instruction, “Do NOT attack until I give you the order.” Very f*cking hard. New players with potential can be trained. Stupid players should just die.

Sadly stupidity still remains in the human race.

Leviene theorize human are fascinated with the apocalypse because it will send society back to the dark ages and from there stupidity will be breed out from the human race.

Okay, it was wishful thinking on Leviene’s part, but hey it could happen.

Kaleseze often points out that if it does happen, Leviene will be the second person to die. He’s too nice to say she’s the first to die. She is his older sister after all.

Kaleseze has the patience of saint, gain from the practise of dealing with his ADHD sister and idiot raid members. So when his patience wear thin, then everyone get out of the way.

Leviene has seen Kaleseze lose his patience once. It was… umm no, Leviene never saw Kaleseze lose his patients at all. No siree. Her younger brother is the reincarnation of the pope.

Leviene’s family often comment on Leviene’s mental blinders. Leviene retorted, “Ignorance is bliss. I’d rather be happy than stress over other people’s b*****ness.”

[Party - TresBelleSoleil]: We search the whole area and didn’t find anything here. I’ve never walked so much in my life. And these shoes are so crappy. Who would ever wear them. They have no style. My Jimmy...

[TresBelleSoleil has been removed from the party.]

[Party - Wraith]: Hell yes! We’ll never get anything done with her around.

Erica grabbed Sylphie’s arm, “How rude. Could you believe that? He kicked me out of the party again. Now I won’t know what’s going on.”

[Party - Leviene]: Sec. Still have to deal with whine-o on our end