E.M.M.A Ch. 03-04

Kimi lept off the guard she's attacked as he fell to the ground, dead, giggling victoriously. She stopped when she saw Davi sprint out of the barracks at full tilt, however, followed by a large mass of shouting soldiers.

"RUN!!!" Shouted Qorin as she turned and started tearing down the street as fast as she could.

Davi was following close behind, so Kimi leapt to the nearest rooftop and started following them from above, dashing from ledge to ledge. She noted that the guards following them simply ran past Richard. They hadn't realized he was with her.

Some of the guards threw spears at Kimi, but she evaded them easily and kept tracking the duo. It didn't seem like they were building much distance with the guards, and she still wasn't quite sure where Davi's allegiances lay. She decided that she'd have to buy them some time. Unfortunately, she didn't have any smoke bombs or similar items to slow the guards.

Throwing caution to the winds, she jumped on top of the mass of soldiers. They all wore cumbersome heavy armor, so the one she landed on hadn't realized what was going on until she'd stuck her dagger into his eye. The one behind him slammed into him as he screamed piercingly. The group struggled to stop, however, as their momentum was such that they kept banging into each other and losing their balance as they slowed.

Kimi jumped on top of another armored guard, and then another, trying to use them as perches. Unfortunately, one of them saw her coming and swiped at her with the back of his hand. It connected with her cheek and she flew through the air, landing in the dirt. These guards were slow to react in their armor, and currently badly organized, but they were also incredibly strong.

She stumbled back to her feet, clutching at her jaw as her head spun. She soon realized that the soldiers had cornered her against a wall, and now surrounded her. They were advancing slowly, spears and shields raised, but they hadn't covered all her escape routes. She sheathed her dagger behind her back and leapt up, baring her retractable claws to dig them into the wall as she scrambled her way up to the lowest ledge, and hopped onto a nearby roof.

She then quickly made her escape, traversing the rooftops, too fast for the guards to follow. Kimi's jaw was bruised, but at least it seemed like she had allowed Qorin to get some distance. She soon tracked her down by scent, however, and joined the still running duo.

"I bought you some time." She told Qorin.

"T-thanks... " Answered Qorin breathlessly, who was holding her side as she ran.

"We need to get out of the city. You two are too easy to track," said Kimi. "And what about him?" she pointed to Davi.

"He's..." panted Qorin, "He's... He's an asshole. But he won't betray us this time."

Kimi nodded, and ran ahead of the two to scout out the area. They were approaching the cities' southern gate, where Max appeared to be waiting for them.

[...]

Qorin was beyond exhausted as she ran past the city gates, clutching at the stitch in her side. Her thighs were burning and she could hardly breath. She gasped and coughed, her chest heaving as she tried to retrieve her bearings. Davi didn't seem to be faring any better.

"You all right?" asked Max, his huge tail swishing impatiently as he stared at her impatiently.

The demonic woman nodded. "B-barely." She answered.

"Good, because we need to move." He answered, as he started briskly walking off the main road outside the gate and into the forest.

"W-why?" questioned Qorin as she stumbled after him. The rustling behind her informed her that Davi was also following.

"If what that cat just told me about your escape is true, then you, Fuzz, the cat and that friend of yours are all being hunted down by the city guards. They 'll probably be sending trackers after you, so you guys need to go into hiding."

"Wait... What?" spluttered Qorin, who hadn't even thought that far ahead, "How are we going to do that?"

"You need to find somewhere that's impossible to track, at least for now. Your best bet would most likely be the hidden town of Eilmoira. It isn't far from here, and is enchanted, making it impossible to track you there."

"So... Are you going to take us there?"

"No, I need to stay in Wickenham to help Liz with the other less problematic new players."

"Oh Ha ha... Very funny, but how are we going to get there if you don't guide us there?"

Max didn't answer right away. He was busy clearing the way through a thicket into a small clearing.

"Eilmora is an elf settlement, and as such is enchanted so that it can only be found by other elves. Fortunately, we have an elf friend who warned us of your predicament and offered to take you there."

"But..." hesitated Qorin, "Who is..."

She stopped as she noticed who was standing in the clearing, waiting for them. There was Fuzz, standing near a tree, beaming at her as Kimi sat on the branches above him. To his right sat Edelaweth, who was waving at Qorin, smiling.

[...]

"Permanence", an extract from "Shouting and clouting: an adventurer's guide to Adros" by Duffel.

In the real world, things don't like to stick around. Be it your favorite chocolate bar, your grandparent, or the tiny key your passive-aggressive landlord gave you, they always find a way to fade to another plane of existence. Everything will eventually snuff it, or disappear, and that includes you.

Adros isn't quite the same. Time passes, people fight and die, wars start and end, and there's a lot of fucking, but few things have lasting effects. People don't age physically in game, and their real lives are so well conserved by their pod that players rarely ever die permanently. Almost all deaths result in players respawning, wars usually only ever slightly change politics, and players rarely give birth.

As such, new players usually have to adjust to thinking of consequences differently. Your grandparent probably won't permanently die anytime soon, keys are big and hard to lose, and food doesn't usually go stale. That isn't to say your favorite chocolate bar will last long though...

As for death... Death is painful, so you want to avoid it, but it isn't permanent. It is really fucking painful though. Really. In fact, one might sometimes hear of players going insane from dying too often. I'll admit I never observed that myself, and don't really believe the stories. But I wouldn't be surprised if some players do go a little unstable after their first death in particular.

People also love to fuck, as much they hate dying. That's why they tend to do the former almost as much as the latter. It's fun, and rarely ever transmits diseases or conditions, unless the sick fuck you're with selected that as their avatar's ability. And pregnancies, while possible, are so rare that it sounds like they only ever happen to people who fuck 24/7. The children, as far as I know, are only NPCs, but they're the cutest, most realistic lines of code you'll ever see and become indistinguishable from the average player as they grow up.

So all in all, it seems like nothing you do here is likely to be permanent unless you try very, very hard. And that makes some individuals feel like nothing matters. Why live in a world where we are hard put to leave a lasting mark? What is the point? Well, before you start joining a religion and preparing for the afterlife, let me tell you that this world's permanence can also be useful.

For one thing... No death is permanent. Period. That has to count for something, right? Anyone has access to eternal life. That means you don't have to spend a big chunk of your life preparing for the limited time you'll be able to work. Instead, take that time, do what you want. Be what you want. You don't like your choice? Change it. You'll have time.

That means you can pursue your ambition, whatever it is. Chances are you'll have time. Be an adventurer, a guard with a sore knee, a politician, a criminal, and the ruler of nations in that order, for example. Just don't restrict yourself.

And that last part is essential. In a world where you are eternal, do not ever let yourself be indefinitely restrained. Prison is the true torture in this world, spending eternity alone in a cell. And sure, you can escape by dying, but will that help if the nearest spawn point is in the middle of the city, surrounded by guards?

Because you don't have much choice when it comes to spawn points. You will appear at the nearest permanent one, and they only exist in major cities. That may sound harsh once you realize how many hundreds of kilometers separate each city. It is. Have you ever died just before reaching the halfway point towards your destined city, only to reappear where you started, days ago? If not, you probably will one day.

Fortunately, the elves are the masters of circumventing this problem, thanks to their enchantments. It is said that eons ago, they discovered a way of engraving precious stones with enchantments, to which they bound the souls of their companions. That way, if the companion died, they would reappear near the holder of the gem, named "soulstone".

Modern variations of these soulstones are available to this day on the market, although they are objects of great value. They can bind to a soul simply by imbibing the blood of the souls' owner, although they usually can only ever be used a small number of times, most often just once. There are legends, however, of warriors and adventurers who obtained eternal soulstones, which could be used forever.

Such stones would be incredibly valuable, and give its holder a great power over the person whose soul it is bound to. Indeed, stories are spoken of ancient warlords, abusing their fallen victims by engraving such a stone of them, so as to be able to kill them over and over again in a never-ending torture.

It is also said, however, that in this world, the ideal wedding ring would be incrusted with the eternal soulstone of one's other half. Such a legendary couple would thus be forever bound together, holding onto each other's soul not just figuratively, but literally as well.

These are all but stories however. The elves are a secretive race, and many live in enchanted communities, of which it is said, are enchanted and can only be found by other elves. As such, it is difficult to find the sort of powerful elf enchanter that might be able to engrave an eternal soulstone, let alone get clear answers from these cunning creatures.

They would, however, likely be the ones to ask for answers about the nature of the soul in this world. Indeed, it is well known that in this world, the soul, unlike the body, is eternal. This is what allows us to come back from death. Some experienced players, however, seem to be of the opinion that things aren't quite that simple.

Some say that the soul, while technically invulnerable, is still somewhat frail of form. They say that the terrible pain and anguish of death doesn't just liberate it from its fleshy prison, but also weakens and fragments the soul. Thus, as it is attracted back to the nearest spawn point or bound soulstone, it may also lose some of it's parts, or meld them with the souls of others.

The effects may vary. I, for one, am quite sure that I enjoy the smell of blue cheese and socks a lot more than I used to, but some players claim to experience much greater side effects. Indeed, if the soul is homologous to the mind, then having parts of ones mind stripped, or replaced with the lost floating parts of other players' minds, could suggest that a player might have their entire personality and traits replaced and rewritten over subsequent deaths.

In fact, if you died since you logged on, how do you know for sure that you are still the same person you were at the beginning? Has half your mind been replaced with that of a mad psychopath without you noticing? You'll probably never know unless, perhaps, you are a powerful elf enchanter...

Chapter 4: Eilmoira.

"Aaaah!" exclaimed the tiger as he breathed in deeply, "Smell the spring air!"

"Yea of course, Fuzz." Retorted Qorin, smiling despite herself, "We all know you farted."

The whole group sighed. It had been a couple days now that they had left Wickenham in search of Eilmoira. No one knew exactly where it was, but Edelaweth had said she'd read about it in a book when at the library. Supposedly it could only be found by elves, which was great as, according to Max, they all really needed to go into hiding for a while.

Indeed, Fuzz, Qorin, Kimi and Davi were on the run. As such, they were to serve as additional protection for Edelaweth who supposedly meant to make the trip anyway. Neither Max nor Liz had offered to come though, as they still had business in town, and Richard had scoffed at the idea of going on such an adventurous waste of time and effort, so it was just the five of them.

Their travel had been quite slow as they were avoiding the roads, and were instead crossing straight through the thick forests that surrounded Wickenham. Fortunately, though, they hadn't met many enemies other than a few lone wolves, who were easily scared off. Kimi, who moved very fast through the trees and thus scouted the areas as the group moved, did mention a few other signs of life she'd noticed.

She claimed to have seen small green creatures she assumed were goblins, as well as a couple forest giants, but neither had been a problem circumventing. The group was trying to be extra careful not to get into trouble, as they knew that dying would mean spawning back in town and getting sent to prison.

This extra care didn't seem to include being quiet however, as both Fuzz's and Qorin's voices were frequently heard echoing through the undergrowth as they chatted, laughed and teased each other, much to Davi's displeasure. He regularly told them to shut up, or be quiet, sometimes looking at the elf for help. Edelaweth never backed him up, however, which made Davi increasingly grumpy.

From the few times the elf did speak, Davi had gathered that they were less than an hour away from the general area where their destination might be found. He wasn't sure that they'd ever find the place though. Their information on how to locate Eilmoira seemed so vague that this trip almost felt like a fool's errand.

He grumbled under his breath and tripped over a root, almost crashing down to the ground under the weight of his so called "light" armor. It felt so frustrating to be on the run for trying to be an honorable knight. Had it not been for those guardsmen in Wickenham, he would have been able to leave the barracks alone, his head held high as a respectable citizen. Instead he was with these rabble rousers, trying to flee the city.

Worst of all was that none of the others appeared to mind. Fuzz and Qorin were as chirpily annoying as ever, the cat Kimi seemed to just care about protecting Fuzz for some reason, and Edelaweth... Well she mostly preferred to keep quiet.

Davi looked up to glance at the elf, and noticed something amongst the trees in front of the group.

[...]

"What the...?"

Fuzz stumbled back as he saw a dark figure appear in front of him. It was the same being who had captured Edelaweth, except this time it was holding Kimi hostage. The Bengal tiger gathered his bearings, however, stepping back and extending his claws to full length as he got in the battle stance Max had taught him.

He hunched down, ready to go on all fours, with his back arched and his feet spread apart. He wouldn't let this guy get away again.

"Who the hell are you?" He roared loudly, "Hand Kimi over or I'll..."

"Or you'll what?" asked the figure menacingly in a deadly whisper, its long thin bonds around the smaller cat, tightening slightly as they dug into her flesh.

Fuzz just stood there, paralyzed and unsure what to do. He was terrified, but something else was building up inside him, slowly overruling every other emotion. It was blinding white fury. It spread through him, covering his vision as he snarled madly, his jaw quivering as he bared his long pointed fangs.

"I WILL KILL Y..."

The figure was gone.

Fuzz blinked, then turned around to scan the area.

"Where is he? Where did he go?"

"Nowhere." Answered a small voice. It was Edelaweth, standing beside him. "It was just an illusion. Part of the enchantments I read about. The elves cast them to scare away people who get too close. Supposedly, it feeds off of your fears and inner demons."

"So..." croaked Fuzz, still completely taken aback. He turned to watch as Davi ran in circles around a tree, screaming as if chased by some imaginary city guard. "Why isn't it working on me anymore?"

"I dispelled it." Replied the elf, as she gently touched Davi on the shoulder during his next run past.

He immediately stopped running and went tomato red in embarrassment.

"I guess that means we're nearly there." Suggested Fuzz as Edelaweth led the way forwards. She nodded.

The group continued moving forwards, but soon came upon a small clearing. There, they found Kimi, her head in her hands as she knelt in front of two large trunks standing a few feet apart. She appeared to be sobbing quietly, but did not respond when Fuzz called her name.

Edelaweth walked up to her to dispel the illusion, but that appeared to have no effect. Fuzz followed and put a paw on her arm.

"Are you alright Kimi? Is it the illusion? We all got caught by it as well back there, but it's just an illusion you know..."

She didn't respond at once, but kept sobbing for a few moments. Eventually, she slowly lifted her face up to Fuzz and nodded, before suddenly leaping up to sling her arms around his neck.

"Whoa there!" exclaimed Fuzz, patting her on the back as her feet dangled a few feet of the ground. "What... What's wrong?"

She just shook her head, hiding her face thanks to the hug as she held on for dear life. The rest of the group looked at each other, slightly perplexed, before Edelaweth pointed at the two trunks before which Kimi had been kneeling.

"I think that must be the source of the illusion. I can sense it."

Davi and Qorin stared at each other, even more confused, and the elf sighed.

"Just trust me, all right, and follow." She told them, and walked between the tree trunks.

The group followed, with Fuzz wearing Kimi like a necklace and bringing up the rear. He didn't get it, any of it. Behind the trunks, all he could see was a whole load of twisted branches hidden under the shade of the thick canopy. He walked towards them, staring as the others exclaimed in surprise in front of him for no apparent reason.

It was only when he crossed the gateway made by the trees that it suddenly happened. The dusky shade under the canopy became wispy, like smoke, as beams of light crisscrossed the air, putting into sharp relief a great golden wall woven into the trees before him, interweaving with the forest as a whole.

And just as the wall became entirely visible, spots of bright blue light appeared above it, as magical blue flames popped into existence. Their bluish hue illuminated the nearby trees, which were now carved intricately, with walkways atop their entwined branches as well as narrow doors, and even windows.

The area before them had suddenly exploded into life, revealing a great golden fortress with a huge engraved gate, above which stood a tree born village. And even now, more colors were emerging as huge, beautiful flowers bloomed along the carved wood of the hanging walkways and narrow doors, and thin, lithe, and incredibly graceful beings in colorful clothing appeared atop the walls.

This had to be Eilmoira.