Kaine sighed as he followed what was apparently his new guild, or would have been if one of them had the total level of 10 to create one through the guild window…Instead, they each just used the party option, as barely visible in the corner of his eye was its UI.

{The Crimson Crows Party}

[Jedd] Level 1

[Slayn] Level 1

[Roy White] Level 1

[Rey Black] Level 1

[Farvo10] Level 1

[Larakrell] Level 1

[Jor Mungandr] Level 1

Said window coming into view as he thought of it, then fading back out the moment he ignored it.

Well…can’t say I expected them to be so welcoming but…

He thought, as he took a few moments to look each of them up and down, now that he was closer. Inspecting them.

Jedd, seemed the most peculiar of them all to him, so his eyes were mostly wary of her.

Bear-like dark brown ears and tail, a short also dark brown hair-cut and along with almond brown eyes. Jedd’s character was short for a Beastwoman, but physically well built, going well with her slightly sun-darkened skin.

Then there was Farvo the dwarf, shortest of the group and average height for his race. The dwarf had short black hair held up in a mohawk, pale silver eyes and a long scruffy black beard tied up and braided fancily with red strings.

Kaine then glanced at the twins, although their personalities couldn’t be more opposing, their characters were two drops taken from the same puddle.

Both exactly the same height, slightly taller than himself as Elves. Both with long pale blonde hair, although Roy’s was left to fall down his back, while Rey had it tied up in a horsetail. Both of their eyes, were also a piercing blue.

Both were thin, as most Elves were. And although they were so similar, even without the different hairstyles Kaine was sure he could make them apart…

As Rey’s character had keen physical differences from her brother…A very obvious pair of differences.

Blinking as to take his eyes off them, Kaine turned then to the furthest member from him.

Lara’s character was the one that stood out the most, Kaine immediately singling her out as premium member from the flashy character appearance of hers.

Larakrell the human, seemed to be the youngest of them, age being unalterable as the game didn’t allow so even with a premium subscription. What it did allow though, was her long snow-white hair dyed with strands of pale pink and violet. Her heterochromia iridum, differently coloured eyes, one a pale blue and the other also pale, an almost pinkish red.

Seeming much less realistic than the others, even for a fantasy character.

“You…said something about Lara usually being a mage but…you’re unsure what role she’ll take?” Kaine then asked, starting to fish for whatever information they held.

“A-Ah, right. I uhm, the game apparently holds back a lot when it comes to magic, even compared to the previous version?” Lara sheepishly explained, Kaine then noticing she was standing the furthest from him.

“Oh? I thought you played the previous game extensively?” Jedd asked with a smirk.

“I have, but there are parts of this game that differ from the old one. Magic seems to be one, as we’ve yet to pick an element, nor are we able to cast anything at all since we have no Arcane points to speak of.” Kaine replied defensively. “I…also skipped the MMO tutorial…” He then shamefully admitted.

Causing Farvo to snort then chuckle, “You…skipped it? Like ignored it completely or just didn’t tick it?”

“I…didn’t tick it either.” Rey said with a quivering weak smile.

“I expect that much from you,” Roy told her, her shoulders slumping at his words, then turning to Kaine. “Didn’t expect it from you though, you don’t seem the kind of person to skip details.”

“I didn’t expect for it to be this different…Out of the Martial tree I recognise all of the stats but out of the Arcane tree I only recognise Intelligence, Spirit and Sense. Then there are also a few crafting arts I don’t understand either.” Kaine explained with a groan as the dwarf continued to chuckle.

“W-Well, you can use Inspect on them to s-see what they are about?” Lara offered, “The t-tutorial told us about t-that.” Stuttering every now and then as she spoke.

“I…didn’t think of that, the original game did not have that option.” Kaine mused, opening his character page and doing so immediately on each martial and arcane stat. Opening himself an array of small notifications he could enlarge at will.

Strength; Damage dealt, Carry Weight. Agility; Movement Speed, Evade speed. Dexterity; Attack speed, Accuracy. Vitality; Health Points, Poison Resistance Chance, Health regen rate. Perception; Chance of sensing Stealth/Hidden, Chance of sensing traps, Chance of sensing incoming attack trajectory. Intelligence; Force power, Inventory space. Spirit; Max Arcane points, Arcane points regen speed. Expertise; Arcane accuracy, Arcane control limit. Sense; Chance of sensing Arcane, Arcane sense radius size. Aura; Arcane resistance.

“Well…I understand most of this. Nothing elemental so…is magic purely force now?” Kaine asked as he pushed each window out of his view.

“Not entirely, pure force seems to be the starting kind of magic, then there is manipulating elements and as a final tier is actually summoning elements.” Roy explained, “And while we’re asking questions, I have one for you. Since the tutorial didn’t entirely explain that well…”

“Go ahead?” Kaine said, wondering where the tutorial failed.

“Most of us chose the expert to veteran for the tutorial, so it was vague on a few things, probably expecting we played the previous game so I’d like to confirm.” Roy began to ask, aligning himself with Kaine and matching his pace as they began to converse about the technical parts of the game.

The others, moving ahead and mostly ignoring the very nerdy talk they were having…for several minutes.

“Okay so…Crafting Arts’ total level increases for each 5 levels gained in a specific crafting art. Right?” Roy repeated as they walked.

“Yeap, so the maximum C level is the number of arts multiplied by 2, since each crafting art maximizes at tier 10. Therefore 32.” Kiane explained, seeming slightly bored himself, albeit Roy was very much enthusiastic about this conversation. “Your C level gives certain bonuses to all arts as it increases too. Not sure what this game has for bonuses though.”

“Mhm, right. And you said Martial and Arcane levels use a different experience system?” Roy then asked.

“Crafting Arts themselves, like blacksmithing, gain experience. But for the combat trees, they are the ones that gain experience. So, doing physical combat gains you Martial experience, doing arcane combat gains you Arcane experience.” Kaine added on, “When you level either M Level or A Level, you gain a plus 1 to all stats in that tree, and 3 neutral points in addition that you can transfer into whichever stat within that tree.”

“So…technically…someone could put all their neutral points into say, strength?” Roy asked.

“Been done before, merchant players did that a lot since they used mounts for travel speed. Also, those neutral points? You can move them around, however you wish, every time you level up that tree and when that tree is maxed out in level.” Kaine said, trying to pacify Roy’s thirst for knowledge.

“Huh, and what’s the maximum level for Martial and Arcane?...” Roy then asked, his eyes narrowing before he suddenly stopped…

“Thirty…four.” Kaine said as he looked ahead, stopping himself as had the rest before them.

Steam, thick and white, it rose in the distance as several trails of smoke. Thick enough to be visible against the light blue sky. Kaine counted six to seven spots ahead where the steam rose, but looking to either side he could see even more.

“What the hell are those?” Rey asked as they continued to walk.

“Steam? Smoke? A gaseous substance?” Roy responded with a shrug.

“Hah, no shit smart ass.” Rey groaned in annoyance.

“I’m guessing that’s the river, I can barely make it out from here.” Kaine added, narrowing his eyes to try and make the land below the smoke out.

“I hear it, too.” Jedd added, as Slayn whined from next to her.

Lara stopped for a moment, “I d-don’t hear anything…” she said before continuing to follow.

“And you won’t till we get closer,” Farvo told her with a sigh, “I can’t hear shit nor see shit either but these Elves and that Beastly woman have different sense based skills than us.”

Jedd chuckled with a grin, “So I can hear further? Nice.”

“Nobody has answered my question yet…” Rey grumbled, “Why, the hell, is there steam rising out of a river? Here? In a savannah?”

“Hm, fair point sis, I’ve got no clue.” Roy added.

Rey looked at Roy with what seemed to be shock and surprise. “Did…Did I just hear you mutter such words?...The know it all…doesn’t kno-”

She wasn’t given the time to finish her mocking, as Roy jabbed her in the side before she could.

Suddenly losing her breath, Rey briefly coughed before suddenly rising back and stomping towards her brother. Fury in her eyes as she wore a wicked grimace.

Lara held Rey back by the collar, pale-faced herself as she did. “R-Rey come on…”

Rey glanced back at her, and Lara’s expression paled to paper white. “Do not get in my-”

Again, Rey was given no time to finish her sentence, as Jedd’s hand descended down onto her head. “Don’t give Lara that look.”

Karate chop style.

Moments later, they continued to walk towards the river.

With Rey now laying over Slayn’s back, holding her head in pain while grumbling.

“W-Wait…shit…” Rey then mused as she suddenly rose into sitting over the grizzly’s back.

“Alright seriously, drop it.” Jedd warned, glaring at her as she walked by Slayn.

“Nah, boss…somethings off.” Rey said, her expression warped between an awkward smile and…fearful eyes. “I felt that…fully…” Rey said.

“What do you mean?” Kaine asked, not understanding her point.

Of course you felt that…must of hurt too.

He thought, but then stopping in his steps as realisation took him. “No wait…” Kaine raised his hands before himself, eyes widening as he cautiously pinched himself.

He felt it.

He fully felt it.

“The pain…how…It shouldn’t be this heightened!” Kaine exclaimed, as each of them also stopped and some did the same.

“The fuck!? What is this shit? Why does it feel so…” Farvo swore as he did too.

“Real?” Jedd asked, and each of them turned to look at her, each of their eyes widening as they saw her blood. Her left index finger bleeding as she stared down at the cut, sword clenched in her other hand. “This is crazy…huh?” She chuckled.

“This is fucking insane.” Jedd said, clenching her bleeding hand before she looked up at them. “It makes this damn game feel real, It makes it all so much more terrifying…doesn’t it?” She asked, meeting each of their gazes one by one.

Meeting…

Farvo’s nervousness.

Roy’s worry.

Rey’s confusion.

Lara’s fear.

Her gaze then falling upon Kaine briefly, as his eyes narrowed, his expression just short of being calm. She saw the faltering on his face, but in his eyes she also saw determination unlike the rest.

Jedd opened up her hand once more, revealing as the blood now lay smudged across her palm. “It hurts, we feel it like we’re here in reality. It’s terrifying, and that is good.” She said with a sigh, “Some fear will keep us alive.”

Then lowering her hand she turned away from them, “Let’s not let that fear take us over though!” she exclaimed, her tone stoic and calm. “What are we?” she asked as her back lay to them.

“Patient.” Farvo said.

“Hungry.” Rey said.

“Cunning.” Roy said.

“C-Crows.” Lara stuttered.

Slayn whined incomprehensibly.

Jedd glanced back at them, grinning widely. “We’re Crimson Crows, so let’s show this world what’s what.” She told them, turning back around and aiming her right hand forth. “March on ladies and gents!” she exclaimed enthusiastically as she did actually start marching forward.

Resolved, the rest followed their great leader.

All but Kaine who watched after them with great interest, his eyes mostly locked upon Jedd, who reminded him of someone he once knew.

Hah…It’s like, you’re still here.

Kaine thought, as pain suddenly struck him.

A different kind of pain though, for it wasn’t pain which stuck physical injury. No, Kaine felt this pain deeper within.

“S-She’s something, isn’t s-she?” Lara then whispered from next to him, Kaine turning to see her staring after Jedd too.

“Strange.” Kaine said.

“Y-Yeah she’s a b-bit peculiar…” Lara admitted with a chuckle.

“Yeah, she is. But I was talking about how you’re less than three feet now.” Kaine mused, noticing that she wasn’t keeping her distance anymore.

Lara seemingly noticing then too, as her expression turned bright crimson.

Kaine chuckled, “But yeah, she’s something alright.” He then said, continuing onwards to keep up with the rest.

Lara then rushing after them, “W-Wait up!” she exclaimed, running over to Jedd and taking hold of her injured hand. “L-Let me fix you up at least!” She chided as Jedd tried to take her hand back.

“F-Fine…” Jedd surrendered, allowing Lara to clean the blood and fix her bandaged gloves more tightly around the cut.

Kaine though, dragged back as he continued to watch them.

Watching, how close each of them was.

Feeling, like an alien among them.

“Oi newbie, get a moving or we’ll leave you behind.” Rey told him as she still lazily lay on Slayn.

“Yeah,” Kaine responded simply, quickening his pace as they approached one of the pillars of steam.

And as they did, the sound of moving water became clear enough for each player to hear.

“Watch out!” Jedd suddenly exclaimed, all turning to follow her eyes as they saw…

As they heard them first, hundreds of hooves stomping into the ground as the herd approached them.

Antelopes?

Kaine thought at first, as the large herd broke into two and rushed around them.

Wait no…

He then saw the differences, as these were not antelopes at all.

Similar though, as they had the same shape of body, the same twirling horns and bovine snout. But the similarities ended there, as the powerful beasts struck them all with awe.

Almost as large as Slayn.

Each beast had thick long necks to a rather hairy white head, two long twirling golden horns alongside small tusks of the same golden gleam. Long ears held back as they ran. Some, the males he guessed, had a mane of long white hair that dragged behind them. A white pelt, with streaks of glistening gold among it creating strange patterns. Strong long legs, ending in sharp golden hooves.

And finally, a thin long tail, twice as long as their own bodies it whipped behind them as they leapt and galloped. Seemingly never touching the ground as they went, the tail ended in a single puff of golden hair.

Kaine tried his best to focus on at least inspecting one.

Male Goldebeest [Level 2]

His own mouth ajar as he stared after the majestic creatures, as the last few of them ran past and now the entire herd moved away from their party.

“I heard but…I never imagined just how good monsters in this game look.” Rey mused.

“Yeah they devs took animals from real life, alive and extinct, then altered them into fantasy.” Roy added.

“Not just that,” Kaine chuckled, “In the old game there were monsters from mythology, and beasts completely unique to Aether. Like the most known of all the uniques…the Cinderhide of Dawn.”

“W-What…is a Cinderhide of Dawn?” Lara asked as she instead stared at the pillar of steam ahead.

“You don’t want to know, trust me.” Kaine warned.

“Is it that?” Lara said, pointing ahead, as each of them turned to follow her gaze.

Seeing the steam suddenly move, as a goliath emerged from within.

The very air blurring around it, as heat oozed out of its body. Its massive cylindrical feet shaking the ground and disintegrating the grass wherever it stepped. The beast though was akin to an Elephant.

Female Gaizedon [Level 8]

Seeing the level, clearly seeing its gigantic form.

The entire party backed off several feet.

Rock-like plates covered its body, as ember glowed in-between them. Its ears, which were much smaller than an elephant’s, alongside its tusks and eyes…each seemingly molten in nature as they glowed a bright ember. Emanating heat just by existing.

Its trunk was also thinner than a common elephant’s and too covered in the rock-like plates, yet in-between the plates, the trunk was a bright crimson red instead of the pale ember that shone from the rest of it.

The monster, stood a chilling seven meters tall. Looming over even Slayn, the Luguwa grizzly who stood at about four meters tall on his hind legs.

It whined, a low rumbling tone that made each of them shiver, as it turned to them. Steam still rising off its body while the pillar of smoke behind it slowly dissipated.

Its lazy, bright ember eyes, widening as it came to face them.

It breathed, a blast of steam exiting its trunk and spreading out all around its feet into a thin layer of smoke, as trails also escaped its mouth.

It stared at them briefly, whining loudly as it did.

As each of them stared, dumbfounded.

Kaine though, Kaine stared in confusion.

As he heard not the whining…

“What come you, Alf, to our stream?” The beast spoke to him, and he somehow understood it while the rest did not.

“W-We come for water…” Kaine told it, the others glancing between him and the Gaizedon right then, seemingly in understanding.

“Water? You are far from home, Alf, far far from home. But these lands still remember, we remember the sacrifice your blood made. These lands still have faith, these lands still trust.” The Gaizedon said, turning back as it did. “Have as much water as you wish.” It said, whilst moving back towards the river which was now clearly in view.

“O-Alright…O-One last thing!” Kaine then exclaimed, stepping forward and raising his right hand towards it. “Where? Which way is…home?” He asked the goliath.

As it continued into the river, an explosion of steam suddenly rising all around it. The sight of its trunk pointing to its right just barely visible.

“Downstream, far far away.” It told him, disappearing into the newly rising column of steam that engulfed it.

Many around him took deep breaths, having held it at the occurrence. As they all backed away from the pillar of smoke.

“W-What was that a-about?” Lara asked as she fell to her knees, her trembling knees going weak, she then clenched her chest as her heart drained of the panic.

“I…understood it.” Kaine said with a nervous chuckle, “It actually spoke, and it understood me too.”

“What did it say?” Jedd asked.

“That we’re free to take water, something about my blood…the Elves, and a sacrifice that they made here. It also said that the Elves’ home is downstream, but far away.” Kaine explained.

“Interesting…” Roy mused, “Well at least we have a direction now.”

“We don’t even know if these Elves are still there, or if they’re friendly.” Farvo pointed out. “For all we know, and I’ve read a little bit of lore, that thing could be talking about Dark Elves.”

Kaine cringed.

That could be very bad.

“So what’s the plan then? Boss?” Rey asked Jedd, as she petted a spooked Slayn’s snout.

“We make camp for now, we’re weak and undergeared. We have no gathered resources either. However far these Elves are, it sounds like a trip and we are not ready for a trip.” Jedd said as she glanced at each of them, “We’re in an MMORPG, so we must train, we must fight and grow strong…but survival is still key.”

“Agreed, and if the Elves are downstream then we might also get a glance at the rest of the players’ situation if they get wind of this also.” Roy said.

“I would like to gather some things and mess around with some stuff myself…” Farvo added, “We think we know this game, but in reality…we know very little of this world.”

“Y-Yeah!” Lara agreed as Farvo helped her back up to her feet.

“Then I guess it’s sorted.” Kaine said with a sigh.

Jedd nodded, “Set up camp next to the river but away from the Gaizedons, search for food and materials. Move in groups of two. Lara with me, Rey and Roy together, then Farvo go on with Kaine. We reconvene here in say…six hours. Don’t go too far yet, stay within sight of each other at least. After we’ve conversed again, we’ll think of what to do next. Good? Good.” She gave out the plan, and each of them nodded in agreement.

“Let’s get this ball rolling.”